Chapter 347: Eating Popcorn at One's Own Expense / Can't You Just Say "Date"?
"I... don't really have any plans for romance." Hirata Yosuke hesitated for a few seconds before finally giving a clear answer.
'As expected.'
After parting ways with Ichinose Honami, Shimizu Akira went straight to Hirata's dorm. Between two guys, there was no need for beating around the bush; he had asked bluntly if Hirata planned on dating. Now, the answer was laid out before him.
"So, those chocolates you received on Valentine's Day—including the 'Honmei' (true love) one—you plan to reject those as well?" Akira recalled the special gift Hirata had received.
"Yes. I'll make sure to return 'Giri' (obligation) chocolates to them later," Hirata said apologetically.
"I'm sorry... it's because I received too many chocolates that the class started fighting. If it weren't for you and Kushida-san coordinating things, the class might have fallen into civil war..."
Akira felt a headache coming on.
"No, Hirata, that's definitely not your fault."
"But..." Hirata hesitated.
"But what? People gave them to you; you didn't demand them. Besides, I received a lot too," Akira pointed to himself.
"I suppose..." Hirata nodded reluctantly.
He fell silent for a moment, then looked at Akira.
"Shimizu-kun, what do you... think about this special exam?"
Akira thought for a moment and repeated the analysis he had shared with Horikita Suzune.
"I see... it seems there's no perfect solution." Hirata's expression turned troubled.
"The key to this exam is simple," Akira added.
"Whether to spend 20 million points to save someone, and if we vote, who gets the boot."
Hirata nodded pensively.
"However, for you, I'm more worried about your mental state," Akira shifted the topic, looking him in the eye.
"Hypothetically... just hypothetically... if on the day before the exam the class decides to vote someone out, can you accept that?"
"That..." Hirata hesitated, then answered seriously, "I don't think I can. No matter who is voted out, if we have 20 million points and choose not to save them... I find that fundamentally wrong."
"Then let me ask you: if we didn't have 20 million and someone had to drop out, could you accept it then?"
"I still couldn't," Hirata's face darkened.
"I would tell everyone to vote for me. I'd rather drop out myself."
"You're just making it harder for the class," Akira rubbed his temples.
"Everyone knows how much you've contributed. No one would actually follow that request. What if someone else suggests voting a specific person out? Would you pick a fight with them?"
Hirata was rendered speechless. It was a hypothetical, but it was highly likely to happen—and he knew he would likely intervene. He forced a smile, grasping at straws.
"But we do have 20 million points this time, right?"
"Yes, this time. But what about next time?" Akira countered.
"This is the class's entire accumulated wealth from the first year. If another unavoidable expulsion comes up, you won't have a second 20 million. You have to get used to the reality of 'having to choose'."
"But you, Akira..." Hirata looked at him instinctively. Akira frowned.
"I'll be blunt. I have a lot of points, but I'm not using them to save just any classmate. I have people I love and care about; my points are for protecting them. For classmates, I'll only do what is reasonably within my power."
Hirata's face turned pale.
"Previously, I helped because people asked me to for various reasons. It wasn't out of pure devotion to the class," Akira said directly.
"Hirata, I respect your dedication, but there's a problem with your mindset of using your moral standards to measure what I should do."
He watched the frozen boy and continued: "It's like this exam. The class can likely gather 20 million, but that's everyone's money.
In this school where points buy rules, points are the most vital resource. No one is obligated to throw away their points for one student. I don't know what you went through in the past to make you so obsessed with saving everyone, but that mindset... isn't it actually a form of invisible pressure on Class C?"
Hirata looked dazed and didn't respond.
"Alright, I'm heading out." Akira waved and walked out, closing the door behind him. The room grew dim as Hirata sat there alone, unmoving.
-
-
-
Akira returned to his room and touched his chin.
'Did I say too much?'
His original goal was just to scout Hirata's love life for Wang Mei-yu. Somehow, the conversation had spiraled into Hirata's fundamental attitude toward expulsion. He had dumped his sharpest analysis onto him all at once. For someone like Hirata, who acted as the class's mediator and "saint," that must have been a massive shock—like tearing open a scab and rubbing salt in.
'But it had to be done.'
Hirata's idealistic, self-sacrificing nature would eventually destroy him or the class in a place like Advanced Nurturing High. Popping that bubble early was for the best.
He took out his phone and messaged Honami.
Akira: Honami, there's an update on Mei-yu's end. Hirata clearly stated he has no plans for romance. He's returning 'Giri' chocolate for her 'Honmei'. I'm sorry the result isn't what she wanted. Also... my talk with Hirata ended on a rough note.
Honami replied almost immediately.
Honami: I see... I understand. Thanks for the hard work, Akira-kun. I'll find a way to tell Mei-yu gently. But the talk was rough? Want to talk about it? I am your girlfriend; it's normal to share your worries with me.
Akira smiled.
'I was waiting for you to say that.'
He recounted the conversation to her.
Honami: Uh... I see!
Akira could imagine her expression.
'Surprised? Do you feel like you're "eating popcorn" only to realize the story is about you?'
Since both Hirata and Honami had strong self-sacrificing tendencies, he wanted to use this chance to point it out to her too. Of course, he'd be much gentler with his girlfriend.
'I guess I'm kind of using Hirata here' he thought.
'Well, fixing one person's perspective is good; fixing two is even better.'
Honami's "symptoms" were actually more complex than Hirata's. She felt responsible not just for her class, but for everyone. Even though she had gone public with her past shoplifting, that over-compensatory psychology would take a long time to heal.
'Slow and steady. We have two more years until graduation.'
-
-
-
The Third Day of the Exam
In Class D, Shiina Hiyori walked in to hear Tokito Hiroya shouting.
"Hey! Who are you guys voting for? I have a clear candidate!"
"Who, Tokito?"
"Ryuen, obviously! He isn't the leader anymore, but he beat the crap out of us before, didn't he?"
The other students hesitated.
"Forget it... during the training camp, Ryuen got benefits for the sick students. That's why we have over 30 million in class funds. I'm not voting for him."
Tokito snorted and sat down, glaring at Ryuen Kakeru, who was ignored the chatter and played on his phone.
Hiyori noted that Ryuen's "accidental" help at the camp had actually boosted his popularity. At least he wouldn't be an easy target now.
Then, Manabe Shiho walked out with her clique.
"Wait a minute!" she sneered.
"The point of this exam is to vote out the dead weight. Why waste precious class funds?"
Ibuki Mio rolled her eyes.
"What, you want to vote for Ryuen too?"
"No, Ryuen contributed. I don't think he's dead weight," Manabe countered. She pointed a finger at a girl in the class.
"It should be her: Morofuji Rika."
"Eh...?" The shy, bespectacled Rika blinked in shock.
"Manabe-san, you even stood up for me last time..."
"I defended you regarding Karuizawa Kei, but you didn't think we were friends, did you?" Manabe scoffed.
"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have a grudge with Karuizawa, and we wouldn't have been beaten up on the rooftop. It's your fault!"
"Exactly! You're the culprit!"
"If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have been hit!"
Manabe looked around at the other girls.
"Besides, a girl this cowardly with average grades and no skills is useless. It's natural to vote for her, right?" Soon, several girls joined in.
"I can accept that. Morofuji is too weak."
"Are people really agreeing with her?" Ibuki whispered to Hiyori.
"Yes," Hiyori shook her head.
"Manabe has been a leader among the girls since the start. Like Karuizawa in Class C. When she leads, others follow."
Hiyori had observed the class closely.
Since returning from their injuries in the third semester, Manabe and her friends didn't dare provoke Akira or Karuizawa, so they redirected their pent-up rage toward the weak Rika.
"Tch!" Ibuki frowned. This looked like blatant bullying.
"Hey, Manabe! Stop picking on the easy targets!"
"Ibuki! This is none of your business. She's not your friend!"
"I just don't like your face," Ibuki snapped.
"You want to die, Ibuki? Fine, I can write three names on the criticism ballot—you can be one of them!"
"Try me!" Ibuki stepped forward, ready to fight. The atmosphere turned explosive.
Just as Hiyori was about to intervene, a lazy, mocking voice rang out from the back.
"Heh, how lively." Everyone turned. Ryuen had put down his phone.
"Arguing over a vote already? Picking on a piece of trash who can't even speak up... does that make you feel powerful, Manabe?"
Manabe's face flushed.
"Ryuen, I wasn't targeting..."
"I understand you're pissed about getting hit on the rooftop," Ryuen interrupted.
"But taking it out on someone who had nothing to do with it... are you barking at the wrong person? Or are you only brave enough to pick on people like her?"
Manabe turned red then white. Ryuen had exposed her cowardice in front of everyone.
"Alright," Ryuen waved her off. "Vote for whoever you want. But stop the infighting. It's making me moody and I'm trying to play my game." He looked coldly at Manabe.
"You. Come to the rooftop with me."
He went back to his phone. The tension was forcibly suppressed by his words. Manabe fell silent, her friends lowering their heads.
Hiyori watched Ryuen's back.
'The former tyrant.' His style was still unpredictable, but he had stabilized the situation.
'In Class D, the most indispensable person is actually Ryuen himself.'
-
-
-
After School
Akira felt a gaze on him. He turned to see Horikita Suzune staring. She immediately looked away.
"Something wrong, Suzune?"
"Cough... nothing." Her voice was stiff.
Akira was confused but focused on the task at hand.
"How was your investigation yesterday?"
Suzune regained her composure. "Class A has been doing mock internal votes. On Friday, the bottom five will give speeches, and then the class will vote one out. Then that person gets to ask if the class will spend 20 million to save them."
'Typical Sakayanagi' Akira thought. A systematic way to humiliate and eliminate dissenters.
"You know Class B better than me," Suzune glanced at him.
"Honami has high authority and is pushing to save everyone. With their VIP points, it's a near certainty."
"The variable is Class D," she continued.
"They are split. Some want to protect Ryuen, others like Tokito want him out. And according to Kushida, Manabe tried to target Morofuji today, but Ryuen suppressed the conflict."
She summarized: "Classes A and B will likely save their people. Class D will likely expel someone—either Rika, Ibuki, Manabe, or even Ryuen."
"What did you learn from this?" Akira asked.
"The leader's attitude decides the chaos," Suzune said.
"Honami uses empathy; Sakayanagi uses manipulation. Class D is a mess because they have no leader standing 'on stage'. They don't know what to do, so they attack each other."
She looked at him.
"For Class C, we must establish a clear goal before the vote. If we save, we must explain the long-term value of our image. If we expel... it must be a fair standard, not based on personal grudges. I plan to push for a formal vote tomorrow noon."
"Good," Akira nodded. She was finally looking at things from a macro-management perspective.
"One more thing..." Suzune looked away awkwardly.
"After this special exam is over... are you free?"
"For what?"
"The two of us... should go see the new shops in the school... buy some daily necessities. Then... find something to pass the time... like entertainment activities." She struggled through the long explanation.
Akira blinked.
"Wait... can't you just say 'date'?"
Read ahead (160 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting